The world of Forex trading is a great open land of opportunities where great profits can be achieved. But in order to obtain these great profits you must have a proper understanding of how the forex markets work and behave. The Forex market is a market of trends, as you can see in any forex chart where the oscillation of prices during specific periods of times is more than evident. And this...

Forex Trading Systems: Mechanical Vs. Discretionary Systems.

Raul Lopez

There are basically two types of Forex trading systems, mechanical and discretionary systems. The trading signals that come out of mechanical systems are mainly based off technical analysis applied in a systematic way. On the other hand, discretionary systems use experience, intuition or judgment on entries and exits. But which one produces better results? Or more importantly, which one fits better your trading style? These are the answers we will try to answer on this article.

We will first analyze the pros and cons about each system approach.

Mechanical systems

Advantages
This kind of system can be automated and backtested efficiently.
It has very rigid rules. Either, there is a trade or there isn’t.
Mechanical traders are less susceptible to emotions than discretionary traders.

Disadvantages
Most traders backtest Forex trading systems incorrectly. In order to produce accurate results you need tick data.
The Forex market is always changing. The Forex market (and all markets) has a random component. The market conditions may look similar, but they are never the same.
A system that worked successfully the past year doesn’t necessary mean it will work this year.

Discretionary systems

Advantages
Discretionary systems are easily adaptable to new market conditions.
Trading decisions are based on experience. Traders learn to see which trading signals have higher probability of success.

Disadvantages
They cannot be backtested or automated, since there is always a thought decision to be made.
It takes time to develop the experience required to trade successfully and track trades in a discretionary way. At early stages this can be dangerous.

Now, which approach is better for Forex traders? The one that fits better your personality. For instance, if you are a trader that finds it hard to follow your trading signals, then you are better off using a mechanical system, where your judgment won’t play an important role in your system. You only take the trades that your system signals.

If the psychological barriers that affect every trader (fear, greed, anger, etc.) puts you in unwanted scenarios, you are also better off trading mechanical systems, because you only need to follow what your system is telling you, go short, go long, close a trade. No other decision has to be made.

On the other hand, if you are a disciplined trader, then you are better off using a discretionary system, because discretionary systems adapt to the market conditions and you are able to change your trading conditions as the market changes. For instance, you have a target of 60 pips on a long trade. But the market suddenly starts trending up pretty strongly, then you could move your target to say 100 pips.

Does it mean that trading a discretionary system has no rules? This is absolutely incorrect. Trading discretionary systems means that once a trader finds his/her setup, the trader then decides what to do. But every trader still needs certain rules that need to be followed, such as the size of the position, conditions that have to be met before thinking to get in the market, and so on.

I am a discretionary trader. The main reason I chose a discretionary system is that my trades are based on price behavior, and as you already know, the price behaves similar to the past, but it is never identical, therefore the outcome of every trade is unknown. However, I do have rigid rules on my system, certain conditions have to be met before I even think in getting in a trade. This keeps me out of trouble, once my setup is present and in accordance with the rules I have set, then I closely watch the price behavior and finally decide whether it is a good opportunity or not.

Whether you choose to be a discretionary or a mechanical trader there are some important points you should take in consideration:

1. You need to make sure the Forex trading system you are using totally fits your personality. Otherwise you will find yourself outguessing your system.

2. You also need to have some rules and most importantly have the discipline to follow them.

3. Take your time to build the perfect system for you. It’s not easy and requires time and hard work, but at the end, if done correctly, it will give you consistent profitable results.

4. Before going live, try it on a demo account or even on a small account (I will go for the second option, since psychological barriers will be present.)

About the Author: Raul Lopez is a full time Forex trader, his trades are based on a price behavior approach. Raul is also founder of http://www.straightforex.com a high quality Forex training company.

Source: www.isnare.com

The latest information and news on Forex Trading:

Yahoo! News Search Results for forex

Research and Markets: The FX Bootcamp Guide to Strategic and Tactical Forex T...
DUBLIN, Ireland----Research and Markets has announced the addition of John Wiley and Sons Ltd's new report "The FX Bootcamp Guide to Strategic and Tactical Forex Trading" to their offering.
IntegrityFX announces Live Forex Training for Middle East (AME Info)
IntegrityFX, LLC (IntegrityFX) announced today that it would begin offering Live Forex training in Dubai beginning in May 2009.
Mini Forex Accounts (PIZZAHEROS)
High leverage and low margin in these mini forex accounts play a very important role in magnifying trading gains as well as losses. Mini forex trading accounts come with lower account minimums than of regular accounts, which enables small investors to day trade in foreign currencies.
Short-Term Forex Technical Outlook: USD/JPY (Daily FX via Yahoo! Finance)
U.S. dollar strength pushed the USDJPY higher this week, but as investors remain risk adverse, the technical forecast favors a bearish outlook for the pair.
FOREX-Dollar falls broadly as euro recoups losses (Reuters via Yahoo! Philipp...
* Dollar falls broadly as euro recoups sharp losses
Yahoo! News Search Results for currencies

Currencies: Economic worries pressure dollar (Market Watch)
The U.S. dollar remains on the defensive against the euro and other major currencies Wednesday, taking back some of its recent gains on concerns about the U.S. economic outlook, analysts say.
Asia Currencies Gain, Led by Rupiah, on Rate Cut, U.S. Spending (Bloomberg)
Jan. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Asian currencies gained, led by the Indonesian rupiah and the South Korean won, on speculation interest-rate cuts in the region and U.S. stimulus spending will help revive economic growth.
Sell Singapore Dollar Against Basket of Currencies, RBS Says (Bloomberg)
Jan. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Investors should sell the Singapore dollar and buy a basket of currencies to profit from the local central bank adopting a weaker currency policy this year, said Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc.
Asia Currencies Gain, Led by Won, on Rate Cuts, U.S. Spending (Bloomberg)
Jan. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Asian currencies gained, led by the South Korean won and the Indonesian rupiah, on speculation interest-rate cuts in the region and U.S. stimulus spending will help revive economic growth.
Emerging Currencies to Drop, Morgan Stanley Says (Update1) (Bloomberg)
Jan. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Emerging-market currencies are poised for further losses as recessions force wealthier nations to rein in overseas investment, Morgan Stanley said.